PROFESSIONAL ATHLETICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2985, 31 May 1911, Page 63

PROFESSIONAL ATHLETICS.

By Sport.

TREMBATH AND M'LACHLAN IN AUSTRALIA. TREMBATH TO MEET POSTLE. The following interesting letter from Mr L. C. M'Lachlan, of this city, who is accompanying W. F. Trembath on his tour of Australia, came to hand by the last mail; —“Dear Sport,—-By this time I daresay you were expecting a line or two from us, especially as wo have remained in Australia so long. We have been “hangingfire” in hopes of something definite coining through Holway from Kanaly, and up to the time we left Melbourne ho could not say for sure whether Kanaly was crossing over to England or not. Outside Kanaly there appears no one on the half-mile horizon for Trembath to engage with. Davies is out, and can’t get back to form. Yaguci reports arc in circulation from those who; correspond in professional matters that Emilo Lunghi, the crack Italian amateur half-miler, is coming to England and joining the professional ranks.' If he did come over, providing some one good was put upi against him, the race would draw the biggest gate seen at a footrace in England for years

"We attended the Stawell athletes' meeting at Easter, and witnessed some fine running and a splendidly conducted meeting, everything going off with machine-like precision and no appearance of bustle and not. a minute behind time. Trembath finished close up in his heat of the Half-mile Handicap off syds, run in lmin 55sec, but having put on 71b on the trip across, he did not produce his best form. The final was run in lmin 52 2-ssec. I manasred to get into the final of the Quarter-mile, and in that could only get second after meeting with a little interference. Still, I don't think I could have beaten the winner. " Postle and Trembath are to meet over 440 in Rockihampton on the morning of June 3 (Carnival Week), and the opening day of the carnival. Postle holds the title of quarter-mile champion by virtue of his defeat of B. R. Day in South Africa; so if Trembath succeeds in defeating Postle, which I think he will do, the title goeir with it, as it lias not been competed for since Postle secured it. " E. R. Terry, Donaldson's manager, after Donaldson's defeat of Holway on the Exhibition Grounds, May 13, is so elated with his performance (Donaldson's) that he confidently thinks, or expresses the belief, that Donaldson is the best of this or any other day. Of course, you have seen Holway running, and he appeared to me to be running about the same over here previous to running Donaldson at Bondigo, as when in N.Z. _ When I tell you I think Postle could give Holway 3yds in 75 and beat him, I'm not exaggerating. _ I witnessed Postle and Holway training together at St. Kilda, and Postle could wipe him off with 2yds in 40; so Donaldson's

defeat of Holway by a yard in then first heat of 75 yams was notinxig to rave ever, even if the official time was 7 3-ssec. 8i..!.. after that Donaldson is a great runner; from 130 yards to 440 yards there is not anyone in sight capable, in his present, form, of defeating 1 iin. But, after seeing both Donaldson and Postle running, I'm confident that Postle is his master up to 100 yards. Terry remarks : ' Fancy Trcnibath saying ho would run Donaldson 440 yards for ihe championship.' Trembath did not make that statement. What we did say was that Postle (not Donaldson) partly agreed to give Trembath a match over 440 yards. Even if Trembath wanteu to run Donaldson 440 yards they could nca run for the championship (Postle is virtually the holder), and I think we arc showing good judgment in taking on Postle first. When 1 met Terry in Melbourne he told me what a great 600 yards runner Donaldson was. Trembath has backing over here to race Donaldson 880 yards, and Terry is sure of two matches here for Donaldson, one with Postle for £IOO, and one with Trembath for £IOO and purse, or all the gate. The fact of the matter is Donaldson docs not want to run a halfmile with Trembath.

"If Trembath gets away easily with Postle in their match, then, if Donaldson has not left good money and .Australia behind him. we may make that, 'fancy' real. Trembath is getting into fair form and should be able to show that he can run a little. Ho is still 71b over his weight, but .is filling out and strong with it, and good hard condition and strength is wanted to run a quarter right out, as he will have to do with Postle. If we come out on thej right side of this match, Trembath may still go to England if Holway cables a guarantee for a match. It is highly probable that Postle will pay a visit to New Zealand next summer, so he informs me.— Yours sincerely, L. C. M'Lachlan." "Brisbane, May 19."

A match for the 130 yards sprint championship of the world has been arranged between Donaldson, Taylor, Holway, and Postle for June 17 or July 8. at Sydney. The winner takes 45 per cent, of the purse, and the others 30, 15, and 10 per cent, according to places. This race threatened to- fall through owing to the men being unable to agree as to the distance. Holway, Postle, and Taylor favoured 1 100 yards, but Donaldson, who is undoubtedly the "draw" at the rjres-ent time, stipulated that the distance must be 130 yards. Holway points out that at 100 yaids there is the prospect of Postle beating him, while at 130 yards Donaldson is likely to c'o the same. The American would, however, if it came to a choice, prefer the 100 yards race.

Asked how he accounted for his signal defeat by Donaldson the other day, Hoiway said ho 'was more used to a cinder than a grass track. He failed to find in the turf the soring that he wanted for his stride and his 13st "of weight. Besides, he was not at all partial to night racing, especially in a cold and damp atmosphere. Holway, like many line sprinters, is heavily built, and runs low, relying- on strength rather than spring to propel him along. Each time Donaldson beat him in the start; in the 100 yards by half a yard in the first five. On the night there was only one in it, and seeing that when he beat Donaldson in Wake it was about the slowest 130 yards the Victorian has run since he was in the top class, I fancy Holway's ephemeral title to the world's championship is hardly likely to return. Donaldson's times—7 3-sseo for 75 yards, 9 4-ssee for 100 yards, and 22 l-sseo for 220 yards—have been questioned in one paper," but beyond the fact that there was only one timekeeper there seems no reason to doubt them. True, the track was not the fastest, and dow-leden, but it was not by any means a bad track, and all throe have been equalled or bettered on grass tracks before to-day —even by the despised amateur. Regarding tho claim that J. Donaldson s 100 yards in 9 4-sscc in the match against C. E. Holwav was a grass-track world's record, Frank Skurry Hewitt, as long ago as March, 1870, ran tho 100 ya.rds in 9Jsoc on turf at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and therefore has held the record for over 41 years. Hewitt's time was put up in a race run in the day time, as he says himself. It is extremely difficult to obtain correct times by artificial iight. Donaldson was horn at Raywood on March 16, 1886, and is thus 25 years of ago. He stands sft Bin. and has the phenomema.l stride of 7ft 10in. Holway was born at Attebro on April 19, 1885, being 26 years of age. He is one of the heaviest men that has obtained world's championship honours as a sprinter, standing 6ft and weighing close on 13st. His stride is about Bft. He and Donaldson have now run four times; the first in South Africa, when the Ravwood native won a 100 yards triangular" match against the American and A. B. Postle; then in Wales, when Holway won a match over 130 yards. They next come together at Bendigo last month, when Donaklon won comfortably, and their meeting on May 13 concludes the chapter. The, five-mile record of 27min 43 2-ssec, established bv Blake, the Victorian runner, was broken by J. Ormstain at the Thames (N.Z.) on Easter Monday, under the _ auspices of the Thames Foresters' Committee, and with the knowledge of the Auckland Centre of tho New Zealand Athletic Union. It" is reported that the necessary formalities will becomnlied with in order to have the record of 27>nin 19 2-seee inserted in the official calendar of New Zealand and Australia. Following a— Jl - t'^es —One lap and a-half. lmin 49 n " '"i laps, 3min 0 2-sseo; three laps. '" l-s?ec: four laps. 5m in 38sec; fiv r vtun 56 4-sseo ; six laps, Bmin 17 2-5-" • even laps, 9mm 37 4-ssee; eight lam. 11-in 0 l-ssec; nine laps, 12min 20 4-Ssee; 10 lops, 13min 31 2-ssec; I 1 laps, lfhnin 3 l-ssec; 12 laps, 16min'25 l-s?ec: 13 laps, 17min 47 2-ssec: 14 laps 19mi.n 10 l-ssec: 15 laps, 20mm 34 3-ssee; 16 laps, 21min 59 l-ssee; 17 laps, 23min 21 3-ssec; 18 lans, 24min 45 4-ssec; 19 laps. 26min Bsec; 20 laps, 27min 19 2-ssec. The "track was grass, 20s laps to the five miles, and Ormstein hadi a moderate wind against him for about 100yds per lap. SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP. SYDNEY. May 29. A match for tho 130 vards sprint chamoionehip of tho world has been arranged between Donaldson, Tavlor, Holwav, and Postle for June 17 'or July 8, at Sydney. The winner takes 45 per cent, of the puree, and tho others 30, 15, and 10 per cent. according to places.

THE " "ti . ADDRESS BY LADY ISLINGTON. LFeom Oue Own Cof.k£sponde:\"t.) AUCKLAND, May 24. An excellent address upon the profession of motherhood, containing many homo truths well expressed, was delivered by Lady Islington at the annual social of St. Mathews Mothers' Union. "As the sun gives colour to the flowers so the mother's influence colours the character of her children," said Lady" Islington in opening her discourse. Her Excellency proceeded to deal with the responsibility of motherhood, which she thought was not perhaps always sufficiently realised. In training the child one trained oneself. Lady Islington discerned more harm in teaching the doctrines of ChristiaJiiEy than in not teaching them unless ones lived its precepts in one's own life, such as by never showing irritation cr impatience and never being by even a, shadow unjust. There were' no such critics, observers, and judges as little children. They were quick to sum up character and to see the slightest inconsistency and 'unfairness. Her Excellency went on to deprecate hastiness towards children on the part of parents. She approved of unions where mothers could meet and give each other help. The power of the example of parents was shown in their most intimate daily "life, all the more so if they had a sense of religion, accompanied by a tender, wise, happy, and self-controlled life. But they must go together. "It is no good diving," remarked Lady Islington, "if you cannot swim. Religion, as I understand it, is to believe so much in goodness that you can see no badness, and to create such an atmosphere of gentleness and faith in the beet around you that, wicked, jealous, suspicious, irritable thoughts cannot live in your neighbourhood. Of course it is very difficult for a wife and manager of a household, because daily life seems to encourage irritability as the rain makes weeds grow. I find my only hope is to take each day by itself, to say I a.m going to do my best all to-day. It seems nothing by the day. However old one grows, one never stops making good resolutions and breaking them." Here in New T Zealand, her Excellency went on, mothers had an extra -task to .teach their children—respect and admiration fcr heredity and antiquity. They also had to teach' them that,the truest independence was a capability for obedience, and that the greatest dignity was to be able to show loyalty, courtesy, and veneration. Another lesson to teach the children was that without ideals life was unlovely. Mothers should imperceptibly demonstrate to their offspring that the truest goodness was practical, and lived in every smallest action of our daily life. In conclusion. Lady Islington bade her hearers remember that a mother was " the holiest thing alive."